


The Sixth Member of Café Parade

by Saltbread



Category: THE iDOLM@STER: SideM
Genre: Gen, HEY TAG WRANGLERS IT'S ABOUT TIME WE'VE A FANDOM TAG FOR SIDEM SEPARATE FROM THE MAIN IMAS TAG PLS, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:54:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25025740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saltbread/pseuds/Saltbread
Summary: It was only meant to be a midnight venture to the kitchen, for some tea. Nothing more, nothing less. And yet, an unexpected encounter resulted in a friendship being formed...one that's more likely than you think.A full year after Asselin gets employed at Café Parade, Satan finally realises this:Being a plush toy doesn't make you any less significant than anyone else.[Written for the 2020SideM Anthology!]
Relationships: Asselin BB II & Kamiya Yukihiro, Kamiya Yukihiro & Satan (SideM)
Kudos: 4





	The Sixth Member of Café Parade

**Author's Note:**

> My contribution for the [SideM Anthology](https://insidem.carrd.co/), organised by [nerav](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nerav/pseuds/nerav)! Although published as a oneshot in there, I've made the (probably wise) decision to split it into chapters here. 
> 
> To be honest, this wasn't the first work I've written for SideM that I'd intended to share publicly before anything else, but in light of the anthology I felt it'd be wise to do so. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy! :)

That night, I woke up to the sounds of quiet weeping, muffled by a pillow.

It's not exactly the kind of sound one expects to wake up to. That was how I knew it was still night.

In retrospect, it was probably that very sound itself that had woken me up.

I make it sound like a rare occurrence, and yes, it has been rare of late indeed, but there was a time in my life when such a thing up to a few times a week was the norm. It's been happening increasingly less ever since we started working at Café Parade, but Asselin still weeps in his sleep every now and then.

Thankfully, this is only the sixth time ever since we moved into Kamiya-kun's a little over a year ago, which is a vast improvement from back in the old days. But though I wake up on every single one of these occasions, all I know is that Asselin's constantly recurring nightmares are the cause of his tears. I have absolutely no idea what specifically happens in them.

Indeed, I may be Satan, but I'm also nothing more than a mere plushie. Apart from my name and the way Asselin treats me, there's absolutely nothing otherworldly about me.

I can move and talk and feel emotions only because all plushies can; it's just that our creed forbids us from revealing this to humans. I'm woken up whenever he cries at night for no reason other than the fact that I'm a light sleeper. But most importantly, I want to know what's causing Asselin such distress as he sleeps, though I'll probably never be able to find out.

Nonetheless, I want to help him. As much as I can, at least, which isn't much at all for a mere plushie, but I do my best.

It's almost a routine by now. Getting out of bed, I attempt to make my way to the door. It's not the easiest of tasks, because it's pitch-black in here – he finds comfort in the dark – but I reach it eventually, and push it a slight bit open. After I confirm that the coast is clear, I head out, closing the door behind me.

It probably never ever crossed Kamiya-kun's mind when he first moved here that someone else would be living here with him someday. Thankfully for Asselin, this place was a little too big for one human, but perfect for two.

Personally, I'm just glad that this is a single-storey apartment, where I don't need to use any stairs to reach the kitchen. That would've been impossible with this small body of mine. Instead, passing through the hallway and the living room would get me there. A seven-minute walk, I suppose, or five if I run a little.

Our room is right at the end, and three other doors line the narrow hallway. All is silent, but not quite dark. The hallway lights have been turned off for the night, but it only makes the light filtering through the bottom of one of the closed doors all the more conspicuous. It's the one next to the study – the master bedroom. Kamiya-kun's room.

My metaphorical heart stops for a brief moment as I contemplate the possibility that he's still awake, but then it hits me that it's _Kamiya-kun_.

There are two habits of his that I know Asselin sees as eccentric.

The first is how he never fails to lock his room when he retires for the night. It can't be to keep Asselin from imposing on him, or else it would suffice to ward him off with a ‘spiritual barrier’. One can only wonder what he's trying to keep out. The monsters living under his bed are already under his bed, after all, if they actually do live there. Those in his closet, too.

The second is the fact that he sleeps with the lights on. Apart from the ceiling light, he's got a floor lamp, a desk lamp, some hanging lamps, another lamp by his bedside, and they're all switched on at night. I'm guessing it's an attempt to drive away ghosts, or other forms of the supernatural that can't be kept out by physical barriers.

Admittedly, these lights lend a warm, cozy atmosphere to the space, but that doesn't negate the fact that his room reminds me of the lighting section of that expansive furniture store in Tokyo Bay, where Asselin went to shop for furniture when we first moved in. Both are ridiculously bright, and needlessly so. It makes me worry about his electricity bill at times, but it can't be avoided. Kamiya-kun is terribly afraid of the dark.

Because his lights are always on, I can't discern whether he's awake or not. Still, I sneak past his room as quietly as I can. It's probably around the witching hour right now so he's most likely asleep, and I don't wish to frighten him with any needless noise.

Eventually, I manage to make it to the kitchen without trouble. The glow-in-the dark hands of the wall clock tell the time as being 3:10 a.m. or so. Right below it is a light switch, which I flip on. Once I've grown accustomed to the brightness, I begin going about what I came here to do.

The kitchen is essentially ninety-five percent Asselin's territory, but there's a whole shelf above the kitchen counter (next to the one where he keeps all his spices) that he's offered up to Kamiya-kun, who's dedicated it exclusively to his beloved loose tea leaves. It is this tea-shelf that I turn my attention to.

The range of teas that we have at home is nothing compared to what the Café has to offer, but it's still quite the impressive variety. Here, Kamiya-kun keeps a few of his and Asselin's favourites, some experimental blends of his own (that he isn't confident our customers will enjoy just yet), and some odd ones that he came across at some point in time and bought for personal use, out of sheer curiosity.

Each tea is stored in a cylindrical airtight metal tin, with an affixed handwritten label describing the blend. They're really hard to read from where I was on the floor, so I climb up the kitchen counter and then onto the shelf itself to see them better.

The order in which they're arranged in rows here is haphazard. To locate the one I'm after, I examine each of the labels carefully as I walk the length of the shelf.

_Assam, Peach, English Breakfast, Irish Breakfast, Vanilla, Bergamot, Mango, Peppermint, Oolong, Earl Grey_ _with Lavender, Chamomile, Tieguanyin, Earl Grey with Cornflower-_

Does he really need _two_ Earl Greys?

_-Strawberry Cream, Pu'er, Darjeeling, Lychee, Lapsang Souchong, Rose, Milk Tea._

The novel milk tea-flavoured leaves that amuse Kamiya-kun to no end was the last tin on the shelf, so I retrace my steps. The chamomile tea stood between the earl grey lavender and the tieguanyin, and I pick it up with extra care.

Kamiya-kun once recommended this tea to Saki-kun and Makio-kun a long time ago, when they were suffering from insomnia caused by the nervousness of school exams. He'd mentioned that its calming scent reduces anxiety and improves sleep quality. That kind of just about sounds exactly like what Asselin needs for a bad night.

Brewing a cup of tea for Asselin was out of the question, though. I can't possibly have him drink it without him knowing that I was the one who made it. Not only am I forbidden from revealing my true nature to him, but I also personally don’t wish to. We may be life companions, but there isn't a need for me to be worshipped as a literal Satan more than I currently am. It should be I who is thankful for all the love he's given me, rather than the other way round. 

Luckily for me, there’s another way to do something with the leaves. The first time Asselin had a nightmare here I hadn't yet heard of chamomile tea, and I was stumped as to what I could do the second time, but I had it all figured out three incidents ago.

Clutching the tin tightly in my hands, I hop back down onto the kitchen counter. The lid is shut tight to prevent air from entering, but I manage to pry it open without issue.

The scent of the leaves is strong, even without them being brewed yet. I'm sure just inhaling the scent would release a little of Asselin's tension in his sleep. Some scent would be retained on me if I rubbed some crushed leaves on myself, and I'll just have to sleep in bed with him afterwards to give him a better night's rest.

I set the lid down next to me, and peer into the tin. It's a little less than half-full, so I tilt it a little and tap on it hard, to let some leaves fall out onto the wooden counter. A dried chamomile flower falls out as well. I pick it up and sniff it, which makes me cough. As expected, its scent is powerful.

After the tea has been gathered into a small pile, I crush them against the counter with the base of the metal tin. As soundlessly as I can, of course. Asselin sleeps like a log even when plagued with nightmares, but Kamiya-kun is a light sleeper.

Not that it really matters. The last thing Kamiya-kun would ever do if he hears any noise in the dead of the night is leave the safety of his room to investigate. He'd be too afraid of the unimaginable consequences. Still, it's better to be safe than sorry.

The scent of the leaves concentrates the more they're crushed, and I stop when I can't make them any finer. Then I rub them on myself while praying that the scent sticks. I'd really much prefer bringing them back to our room with me as-is if I could, but that would only serve to cause confusion in the morning.

Instead, I scoop the crushed tea back into the tin. It's really not a problem, seeing how Soichiro-kun gives me an extremely thorough bath way too often, and Asselin always ensures that the kitchen counter is spotlessly clean. I would never dream of wasting Kamiya-kun's tea, either.

I pick up the lid, but double-check the contents of the tin before closing it. The fact that some tea has been taken out, crushed, and returned in there is barely noticeable, much to my satisfaction. All I need do now is simply close it, return it to the shelf, and then get back to our room and into Asselin's bed.

Except I can't close the tin.

The lid has to be on tight, but my hands are stuffed with cotton, and any pressure I apply squishes them fruitlessly against the metal, which refuses to go down. It's frustrating.

In a last-ditch effort to shut it tight, I place both hands on the metal lid and jump. It seems to work a little, so I jump again. The lid slides another millimetre down. I jump a third time, and then a fourth.

The fifth time I jump, I lose my balance. Consequently, the tin tilts at an angle, then slides off the smooth fabric that is the skin of my hands and collapses on its side. After which it proceeds to roll off the counter.

It's not deafeningly loud, but the pin-drop silence of the kitchen at half-past-three in the morning amplifies the sound of the metal hitting the ground, which continues to ring in my ears for a full five seconds after it's happened.

...

I stiffen, then brace myself and slowly walk towards the edge. I really don't want to look down, but I have to. The sight makes me freeze.

The lid has popped back open - my efforts have gone to waste. But that's not the only thing that's gone.

About less than half a tin's worth of tea leaves has spilled onto the ground. Which is just about all that was in the tin.

I-...I've absolutely no idea what to do.

I can't just return tea that's spilled – onto the _floor_ – back into the tin! And yet, if I throw it all away then Kamiya-kun'll eventually discover it, and wonder where all his tea went.

In the first place, that's assuming that I can clean this all up, which I can't. Brooms and dustpans are way too large for me to handle. But leaving everything here is the worst thing that can happen. What on Earth would Asselin and Kamiya-kun think if they waltzed into the kitchen first thing in the morning and _this_ is the sight that greets them?

It doesn't take long for it to sink in that I’ve _really_ blown it now, there's absolutely _nothing_ I can do, and that's _exactly_ the scenario that's going to happen in a few hours' time. Sheer panic floods me.

And then-

"Um...Excuse me for interrupting, but it appears to me that you require some assistance," says a voice behind me in mild amusement.

I whip around, and our eyes meet.

Oddly enough, Kamiya-kun doesn't seem the slightest bit astonished to see me. But I can't say the same for myself.

Oh my lord.

**Author's Note:**

> That's the end of Chapter One, right there. 
> 
> A real cliffhanger, no?
> 
> I'll leave it hanging here for just a little while more. 
> 
> [If you're itching to read the rest of it, the whole thing's published in the anthology in full.](https://insidem.carrd.co/)
> 
> Please do check it out and, go support everyone else who's contributed while you're at it!
> 
> (By the way, 'That expansive furniture store in Tokyo Bay, where Asselin went to shop for furniture when we first moved in' = IKEA Tokyo-Bay)


End file.
